New Shoes (Unexpected)

Bought a new pair of shoes today.  I wasn't planning on new shoes until after the marathon, but...

Okay...so I’ve been running in cheap Saucony’s for over a year now, which I think have been perfectly fine. Once I started running regularly, almost exactly one year ago, I looked around for an inexpensive training shoe that wasn’t clunky, and settled on a generic Saucony model sold through Big 5 Sporting Goods.  They were list priced at about $80, but Big 5 will periodically put them on sale for $40. As long as they don't create problems for my feet or joints, I figured that $40 for a sturdy, neutral shoe was a much better value than the high end shoes in the $100+ range.

The first pair were call Grid Storm, and they served me well. I was quite comfortable in them, even as my mileage increased. I couldn’t tell if they were wearing out at all, even though the conventional wisdom is to retire shoes when the start to get in the 400-500 mile range. To me, they still felt good.  The uppers were just getting a bit beat up and dingy.  I estimated my accumulated mileage and figured I was easily more than double that, so around January (I’d have to go back through the blog and check) I bought a new pair, also Saucony’s, for $40…again from Big 5.  The Grid Storm wasn't on the racks anymore, but these were essentially the same. They were called the Grid Stratos 3 (pictured to the left) and seemed to be practically identical to the older shoes, with only a cosmetic changes.




I’ve loved those shoes too, working them into the rotation with my older shoes.  Eventually I ran in them exclusively, effectively retiring the old ones, mainly because the older shoes started to feel too small. The first pair was a size 8. The second pair are 8 ½. I do believe I over-pronate, which would suggest I should be experiencing difficulties since these Saucony’s really do nothing for stability. (The illustration shows my ankle flex in the Sauconys.)  I thought at one point that that was why I had been experiencing some pain on the posterior tibial area of my ankle a few months ago. A typical running guru might have put me in orthotics to support my flat arch or recommended a different pair of shoes to control the collapse of my ankle inward as it bore my weight. I may have been naïve, but analysis was that I had ramped up my mileage too quickly during my marathon training.  I compensated by simply scaling back my mileage a little and letting my ankles recover, which they have mostly. I didn’t change my shoe, and I think my ankle is stronger because of it. I still experience over-pronation, but I’m not convinced that it’s a bad thing. Heck, it might be a good thing, like extra shock absorption.




I’ve easily put more than 500 miles on the new shoes since January, but I wasn’t looking for a new pair unless I saw Big 5 put them on sale again, figuring I’d just stock up on a pair or two for future rotation. If nothing else, I wasn’t going to change out shoes until after the marathon. The last thing I want to do at this point is to start experimenting with variables as crucial as shoes before the race.

But I was in Road Runner Sports last week and was just browsing through the clearance department, not intending to look at shoes, when I came across an interesting looking model by K-Swiss. The first thing I noticed was that the heel pad was a little lower in profile than typical running shoes, and the shoe had an almost slipper-like minimalist look to it…not Newton-esque or anything like that, but just a lot less bulk and heft than most of the regular “technical” shoes on the market. I tried it on and it felt pretty comfortable.

So I went home and researched the shoe over the weekend. It’s the K-Swiss K-Ona model, and apparently built with the triathlete in mind. The user reviews were mainly positive, with most of the praise being for the ventilation. There are vents in the sole itself and the shoe liner is perforated, so apparently it wicks away heat and perspiration pretty well. Though it’s supposed to be a stability shoe design, most felt it offered little in the way of pronation prevention, which was fine by me. I liked the slimmed down heel. And I even sort of liked the red/white/blue color, which is a switch for me since I like my shoes mostly white or at least not gaudy.

After thinking it over and researching user opinions, I decided to go back and pick up a pair. After the clearance markdown, the price was $45, which is almost as cheap as my Big 5 Saucony’s. If they turn out to be lemons, little harm done.

I wound up selecting a women’s pair, size 10, which equates to a men’s 9 but narrower. Truthfully, all of the men’s 8 ½ and 9s and women’s 9 ½ and 10s felt good. I decided I liked the roomier feel of the longer shoe, and went with the guidance that I should have about a thumb’s width of space between my longest toe (the middle one) and the end of the shoe. They feel pretty flexible, not pinching or binding across the bridge of the toes. I’m not sure how sturdy they are. The Saucony’s have lasted through some rugged conditions. These seem a little daintier, and may rip or break down more quickly. They certainly are a different look for me. I can’t tell if the red makes me feel self-conscious or not. I’m hoping I’ll forget the cosmetics if they feel good while running.

I don’t expect to rely on them much between now and June. I just want to get a bead on them to see if they’re worth going back to the Clearance Store for another pair or two. If I like them, I’d like to have some spares in case they become impossible to get later, especially at this price.